General Delaware Continuing Legal Education Credit Requirements
In Delaware, active status attorneys must complete 24.00 CLE credits (including 4.00 ethics) every 2 years to maintain good standing with the Delaware State Bar.
Ethics refers to legal and judicial ethics. For purposes of ethics, courses may include professionalism (defined as a dedication to ethics, civility, skill, businesslike practices) and a focus on service (which encompasses obligations to other attorneys, to legal institutions, and to the public).
Credit Hour: 60 minutes (rounded to the nearest 1/10 hour).
Delaware requires 4.00 credit hours in legal ethics every two years. Eligible topics include judicial ethics, professional responsibility, civility, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and professional conduct. Ethics credits may also include professionalism and service-related content as defined by Delaware CLE rules.
Delaware attorneys must complete all 24.00 required credits by December 31 in their reporting year. Attorneys must verify the accuracy of their CLE Transcript by March 1 of their verification year.
The reporting period is 2 years and ends on December 31. If you were admitted to the Delaware State Bar in an even-numbered year, your compliance period ends in even-numbered years. If you were admitted in an odd-numbered year, your compliance period ends in odd-numbered years. Note that you will verify your CLEs in the year following the year that you are required to complete your CLE credits.
Failure to comply with CLE requirements or verify your transcript by the deadline may result in non-compliance status, potential late fees, and referral to the Delaware Supreme Court Office of Disciplinary Counsel.
Requests for extensions or waivers may be considered in cases of medical hardship, military service, or other valid circumstances. Attorneys must submit their request to the Commission on CLE in writing before the March 1 verification deadline.
NBI reports your credit to the Delaware Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
At the end of your compliance period you are responsible for reviewing and verifying the accuracy of your transcript on the Delaware Supreme Court website.
You are encouraged to keep copies of attendance certificates and CLE confirmations for at least three years in case of an audit or discrepancy in your CLE transcript.
Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Delaware CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Delaware Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Examples of accepted course formats include:
Live CLE (Minimum 12.00 Hours)
- CLE classes in Live Attendance classroom
eCLE (Maximum 12.00 Hours)
- Online Seminars
- Video Teleconference
- Telephone Seminar or Audio Broadcast
If you earn more than 24.00 CLE credits in your compliance period, you may carry over 20.00 CLE credits to the next 2-year compliance period. Ethics may be carried over as general CLE credits only.
No. Attorneys must complete at least 12.00 credits through live, in-person CLE programs. You may earn up to 12.00 credits via eCLE, which includes online seminars, teleconferences, and video broadcasts.
You must complete at least 12.00 CLE credits from in-person, live courses. You may earn up to 12.00 with eCLE courses.
No. Attorneys must complete at least 12.00 credits through live, in-person CLE programs. You may earn up to 12.00 credits via eCLE, which includes online seminars, teleconferences, and video broadcasts.
No. In-program attendance verification is not required.
Attorneys should review their official CLE transcript by logging in to the Delaware Supreme Court CLE Portal. You are required to verify the accuracy of your transcript by March 1 following the end of your reporting period.
Yes. Attorneys may receive CLE credit for teaching approved CLE programs, publishing legal articles or books, or participating in bar association educational initiatives. These credits count toward your total but must be approved and reported within your compliance period.
Delaware does not currently offer CLE credit for pro bono service. Only approved legal education activities count toward your required 24.00 credits.
Yes. All active status attorneys, including in-house counsel and government lawyers, are subject to the same 24.00 credit, two-year CLE requirement, with 12.00 live credits and 4.00 ethics included.
- State Contact Information:
- Address: Commission on CLE of the Supreme Court of Delaware, The Renaissance Centre, 405 North King Street, Suite 500, Wilmington, DE 19801
- Phone Number: 302-651-3941
- Email Address: Arms_CLE@delaware.gov
- Website: https://courts.delaware.gov/cle/
- Delaware CLE Rules, FAQs, and Information
Are you newly admitted to the Delaware State Bar? Here’s what you need to know:
Newly admitted attorneys in Delaware begin their CLE compliance period on January 1 following the date they are admitted to the Delaware State Bar. New attorneys must complete specific fundamentals courses within 2 years after their first compliance period begins.
Newly admitted attorneys in Delaware begin their CLE compliance period on January 1 following the date they are admitted to the Delaware State Bar. The following formats fulfill compliance period requirements:
Live CLE (Minimum 12.00 Hours)
- CLE classes in Live Attendance classroom
eCLE (Maximum 12.00 Hours)
- Online Seminars
- Video Teleconference
Yes. If you complete approved CLE credits after your admission to the Delaware State Bar and before December 31 of that year, you may carry over up to 20.00 of those credits to your first compliance year.
Your first CLE reporting period begins on January 1 following your admission to the Delaware State Bar and ends on December 31 at the end of the second full calendar year after your admission.
Yes. Within two years of January 1 following your admission to the Delaware Bar, you must complete all of the following courses:
- Fundamentals of Lawyer-Client Relations
- Fundamentals of Family Law
- Fundamentals of Real Estate
- Fundamentals of Civil Litigation
- Fundamentals of Will Drafting and Estate Administration
- Fundamentals of Law Practice Management and Technology
- Fundamentals of Criminal Law and Procedure
Only fundamentals courses offered by the Delaware State Bar Association are eligible for approval for this requirement. Attendance at these courses will be credited towards your minimum CLE requirement.
An attorney who has yet to complete the first two compliance periods is considered a newly admitted attorney in Delaware.